Racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi is in mourning
.
This Friday the death of his older brother and former pilot Wilson
was reported
, at the age of 80 in San Pablo, after a
tragic episode that occurred last Christmas
.
The information was confirmed by the Brazilian Automobile Confederation.
"At 80 years old, Wilsinho passed away peacefully and surrounded by all the love he deserved throughout his life
," the organization said on Instagram.
Wilson Fittipaldi "combined talent, vision of the future and daring to take the name of Brazil to a level never imagined," he added.
The former runner had been hospitalized in a hospital in San Pablo since December 25, when
he suffered cardiac arrest after getting stuck on a piece of meat he ate at a family lunch
, on the occasion of Christmas and his 80th birthday.
Wilson Fittipaldi and Carlos Reutemann during a Formula 1 race. Photo Instagram Christian Fittipaldi
Overshadowed by the image of his younger brother, two-time Formula 1 champion (1972 and 1974), Wilson Fittipaldi raced in different categories in Brazil and Europe.
Born in Sao Paulo on December 25, 1943, he went through Formula 2 and Formula 3 before reaching an agreement with
Bernie Ecclestone
, then director of the Brabham Ford team, to enter F1 in 1972.
He debuted with a third place in the Brazilian Grand Prix, which did not count towards the championship, in a promising debut that became dim as the season went by.
He made no points and saw his brother Emerson become, at the age of 25, the youngest world champion in this sport, a record he held until the Spanish Fernando Alonso (24) unseated him in 2005.
In 1973 he had better performances, reaching fifth place at the German Nürburgring circuit.
He added three points in the championship that allowed him to finish the year in 16th place, his best overall position in F1.
Emerson Fittipaldi won the Formula 1 title in 1974 in a championship that was decided on the last date.
He was absent for the following season, in which Emerson won his second title, to refine details of the premiere in the highest automobile competition of a personal project: the Brazilian team Copersucar, which was later called Fittipaldi.
Wilson was behind the wheel of a car that disappointed.
He retired in 1975 and dedicated himself to managing the team, which his brother Emerson joined as a driver from 1976 to 1980.
The team never reached the podium of the general classification of Formula 1 and disappeared in 1982 amid financial difficulties.
Wilson occasionally returned to the tracks in smaller competitions and dedicated himself to following the career of his son Christian, who went through F1, Cart, Nascar and Formula 3000, among others.